Drought declared in five Khon Kaen districts

Whilst parts of Thailand suffered floods and overflowing dams during August and September, other parts of the country are now facing drought conditions as we head into the dry season.

Khon Kaen Governor Somsak Jungtrakul has declared five districts drought disaster zones. Somsak said on Friday there had been no rain for months in Pol, Nong Song Hong, Ban Had, Waeng Noi and Puay Noi districts.

Formally designating them as drought areas would speed assistance for anyone in need.

Somsak said farmers had been advised against planting second-crop rice because the water level at the Ubol Ratana Dam was too low to support irrigation.

He said the reservoir held 835.1 million cubic metres of water – about 34 per cent of its 2,431-million-cubic-metre capacity. Only about 20 per cent of that water is available for general use.

Somsak said the province would next week determine whether enough water remains for domestic use as drinking water. If not, other sources will have to be found.

Swiss man accused of overstaying visa and theft charges

PHOTO: Security footage from the Phuket jewelry store in December 2018 – Facebook

The Immigration Bureau says they’re going to blacklist and deport a Swiss man who overstayed his visa and is also accused of series of thefts in Nongkhai and Phuket.

The Nongkhai deputy immigration police chief Colonel Prasit Somjaiprasong says that Julien Andre Junior Cotting, a 25 year old Swiss national, was arrested yesterday at a guest house near the Mekong River in Nongkhai on theft charge.

He was arrested after 42 year old Sai-arun Konwan, the owner of the Chorfah Gallery Hotel in Muang district, filed complaint with police that a foreigner had stolen her bag that she left in the hotel’s lobby on January 8.

She told police that she noticed Cotting having coffee in the lobby. Security camera checked later showed the suspect picking up her handbag and leaving on a rented motorcycle.

The handbag contained 1,000 baht cash, an ATM and other credit cards as well as other important documents.

Sai-arun said Cotting was a regular customer at the hotel’s coffee shop.

After the complaint, police searched for the suspect and noticed a suspicious-looking foreigner at a guesthouse. His passport revealed that he was Cotting and he had overstayed his visa.

After Sai-arun identified the suspect it was found that he had an outstanding arrest warrant on a theft charge in Phuket province where he allegedly stole a diamond ring in December, 2018.

Cotting faces charges of theft and overstaying his visa and will be prosecuted and deported, immigration authorities said.

ไชยยศ ไชยพฤกษ์ covered the story in Phuket last year. Here’s one of the photos from that post…

19 year old caught transporting drugs to Korat in a hired taxi

A young man has been arrested after being allegedly found with methamphetamine pills, marijuana and a gun in a taxi at a checkpoint in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Police say he had hired a Bangkok taxi to take him, along with the drugs, to a client in Buri Ram.

Pol Lt Col Ronnarong Surathot, deputy commander of Chokchai police station, said 19 year old Natthachai Plaengdee, a resident of Buri Ram, was arrested at a road checkpoint in Chokchai.

Ronnarong said Natthachai appeared clearly nervous when he saw police at the checkpoint so police searched him and found 1,690 meth pills, 285.25 grams of marijuana, a .38 revolver and 19 rounds of ammunition in his bag.

Ronnarong said the taxi driver did not know about the drugs as he was only hired to take Natthachai to Buri Ram.

When she was found she was barely able to stand and in obvious pain. Villagers named her Baitong. Nothing is known about Baitong’s mother.

She was rescued on December 18, but despite constant expert vet care and an emergency amputation of her infected foot, she succumbed to her injuries.

A vet from the Bureau of Conservation Area Management says that amputating her her foot was necessary to prevent her from dying of infection. The vets report that last Thursday, Baitong was playing with some of her carers when her condition suddenly worsened and she collapsed during the evening. Several vets worked through the night to treat Baitong but she passed away on Friday morning.

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